Arunachal Pradesh

Heaven for Natural Resources

MUKUT MITHI
Chief Minister
Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is the largest State (83,743 sq. km.) in the Northeast region in the lap of Himalayas inhabited by as many as diverse culture, dialects and lifestyles sharing its 1,630 km. long border with China, Bhutan and Myanmar. It has 82% of its area under forests displaying phenomenal floral and faunal diversity. Numerous rivers flowing down the deep gorges and verdant valleys make people compare Arunachal with Switzerland. Both cultural and biological diversity are at their best. It is a peaceful State amidst trouble-torn Northeast. And yet Arunachal is the least known State of the country.

The uniqueness of India's "unity in diversity" is showcased in Arunachal Pradesh. It has a casteless society of indigenous tribal people, free from communal strife. People belong to different tribes and follow their own religious practice, customs and lifestyles, yet they identify themselves as Arunachalees. The bond of unity is exemplary. Go to a village and people greet you with 'Jai Hind'. Visitor is bound to admire their strong sense of patriotism. Had Arunachalees not received the guidance and patronage of Pandit Nehru, perhaps they would have lost their identity and rich culture by now and failed to develop admirable socio-political ethos which they posses now.

Arunachalees are at the cross-road of modern values and traditional system. We have modern judiciary system yet in villages people prefer to resolve their disputes by the system of administration of justice founded on customs and customary laws of each tribe by the Village Council.

Our indigenous society consisting of eco-system people were completely dependent on forests and other natural resources and had acquired knowledge to derive manifold services from the local natural resources. Yet, they did not cause any detriment to the environment.

Being eco-friendly people, indigenous people of Arunachal have the knowledge about various properties of plants and their uses as food and medicine. Now, efforts are being made to document this invaluable indigenous knowledge system. In vast area of forests in Arunachal with their phenomenal biodiversity is going to be a rich resource in the near future. At the instance of the State Government a National Institute of Biodiversity Studies is going to be set up soon. In order to conserve forest wealth, the State Government is now paying more attention to develop non-timber resources particularly bamboo, cane and medicinal plants.

River is our strength. The river system in Arunachal Pradesh is capable of generating 45,000 MW (installed capacity) of hydropower, almost one-third of the hydropower potential of the country. But only 1% of this potential has so far been exploited. The State government has now embarked on an ambitious plan of harnessing 50% of the hydropower potential by 2012. The Survey and Investigation works are in full swing.

Tourism is another sector which has vast potential for the development of nature, adventure and cultural tourism. But absence of communication infrastructure and the general perception about Northeast being affected by insurgency (though Arunachal is relatively free from the menace of insurgency) are proving a big drag on our efforts to develop tourism in the State. In order to tap this potential the State Government had organised Brahmaputra Darshan recently, which was a huge success. Another festival of Buddha Mahasava is going to be organised at Tawang, the seat of 400 year old Monastery. These festivals will not only help in developing tourism in the State but will also go a long way to forge unity and fraternity among people from different parts of the country.

As is evident, Arunachal Pradesh is enormously rich in natural resources like forests and hydropower and also has tremendous potential for the development of eco-tourism, horticulture, floriculture, etc. But there are severe limitations posed by poor communication coupled with hilly terrain.

The rich natural resources of the State can be converted into real goods only if the limitation listed below are overcome - i) gestation period of the project is much higher in comparison to the other States of the country, ii) prolonged rainy season leading to less effective working time per year for building of infrastructure, iii) Higher cost and longer distance of transporation due to remoteness, iv) Inadequate infrastructure and lack of industrial experience and non-availability of technical expertise, v) Extreme shyness of investors, vi) Prohibitive cost of laying power lines for longer distance, vii) Inadequate investment in exploration of untapped natural resources.

The Congress led government of Arunachal Pradesh is determined to overcome the said limitations and build on its strength to make Arunachal a model of peace and prosperity without compromising its uniqueness.